​It didn’t take long for Sam Presti to cross off a to-do item on his list. In his 2026-27 preseason press conference, he reflected on Russell Westbrook’s NBA retirement. He also hinted at what the Oklahoma City Thunder will eventually do to honor his legendary career.Westbrook played an epic 18 seasons in his career. The first 11 were on the Thunder. In that time, he turned into a one-time MVP winner, redefined what the triple-double meant and was a perennial All-NBA member. Alongside Kevin Durant, he co-starred on OKC’s first title contender.”I also want to take a moment to congratulate Russell on just an unbelievable career, a Hall of Fame career. We’re very fortunate that a lot of those years took place in Oklahoma City,” Presti said. “Much has been talked about with respect to his on-court play, but I think his attitude, his mentality, those types of things also were huge boosts to our community. I think we’re well-regarded and obviously his involvement today here is still pretty remarkable. So we’re really excited and happy for him.”Even with the final one-third of his career petering out as a glorified journeyman, Westbrook remains a basketball pantheon. He’s one of the era-defining NBA superstars of the 2010s. He remains at the top of most of OKC’s statistical leaderboards. When you think of that era, it takes very little time to think of him. Even if his playstyle was high maintenance and controversial.So, how will the Thunder celebrate their first NBA superstar? Keeping his cards close to his vest, Presti alluded to a couple of future special events — likely his No. 0 jersey retirement and a statue outside of the upcoming Continental Coliseum, which is set to open by the 2028-29 season.”I know people might want to ask me later on if we have plans or what we’re going to do to recognize him. I can tell you we don’t have a firm plan yet, but we’re certainly working on that,” Presti said. “We want to make sure it’s done with great intention, and we’ll fill you in when we have a chance.”That was music to a lot of Thunder and Westbrook fans’ ears. This summer has been filled with several all-time NBA legends and current players showing their flowers to him. The size of his retirement announcement’s aftermath only happens for the best of the best.Westbrook will forever be synonymous with the Thunder. Even if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander usurped him as both the best and greatest player in OKC’s short, rich history, there’s always going to be a special place in most of Thunder fans’ hearts for the memories and hope he conjured up in his decade-plus on the small-market franchise.In a lot of ways, Westbrook helped build the foundation of the gold standard that the Thunder have played at for nearly two decades. In that time, they’re one of the winningest franchises in the league. A lot of that ties back to his superhero acts and gaudy, video-game-esque statlines.This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Sam Presti, OKC Thunder ‘working’ on p